Hope (Amtrak Station)
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Hope station is a
passenger rail Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
in Hope, Arkansas. The station is located on Amtrak's '' Texas Eagle'' line. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, total, three days a week.


History

The red brick Hope depot was built in 1912 by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Missouri Pacific Railway, more commonly known as the "MoPac." The building exhibits the MoPac's signature Mediterranean Revival style architecture, especially in the gabled red tile roof. A combination depot, the building originally housed passenger and express services under one roof. The depot remained in active passenger use until November 1968, and then fell into disrepair for many years. However, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 11, 1992. To celebrate the election of Hope native Bill Clinton to the U.S. presidency in 1992, a group of citizens advocated for the conversion of the depot into a museum focused on Clinton's life. With the museum concept in place, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, by then part of Union Pacific Railroad, donated the depot to the city in 1994. Renovations were finished the next year, and the facility opened to the public. The building also houses a visitor and information center. The tourism possibilities created by Clinton's presidency prompted civic leaders to approach Amtrak in 1993 about making Hope a regularly scheduled stop for the ''Texas Eagle''. During the depot renovation, part of the building was set aside with the idea that it could one day serve as a passenger waiting room. The persistence and hard work of city officials paid off in October 2010 when Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman traveled to Hope to announce that the stop had been approved by Amtrak and the Union Pacific. Exhibiting pride of place, each section of the concrete platform is stamped with "Hope, a Slice of the Good Life"—the city's logo and a reference to its famous watermelons. Amtrak service began on April 4, 2013, and the first train was greeted by fireworks in the early morning hours. More than 150 local citizens boarded the '' Texas Eagle'' to ride to Texarkana, then returned on school buses to enjoy a community breakfast in Hope.Great American Stations
Accessed April 8, 2013.


See also

* List of Amtrak stations * National Register of Historic Places listings in Hempstead County, Arkansas


References


External links


Amtrak Texas Eagle Stations - Hope, AR

Hope (HOP)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)
{{National Register of Historic Places Amtrak stations in Arkansas Hope micropolitan area Buildings and structures in Hempstead County, Arkansas Transportation in Hempstead County, Arkansas Railway stations in the United States opened in 1912 Railway stations closed in 1968 Railway stations in the United States opened in 2013 Former Missouri Pacific Railroad stations Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas 2013 establishments in Arkansas Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Arkansas 1912 establishments in Arkansas 1968 disestablishments in Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Hempstead County, Arkansas